DMK Scotches Succession Issue, Mum On Ties With Congress

Coimbatore, July 23: Meeting in the backdrop of a series of setbacks, the DMK general council on Sunday scotched the succession issue in the party and remained silent on replacements in the Union Cabinet for

PTI [ Updated: July 24, 2011 18:16 IST ]

dmk scotches succession issue mum on ties with congress

Coimbatore, July 23: Meeting in the backdrop of a series of setbacks, the DMK general council on Sunday scotched the succession issue in the party and remained silent on replacements in the Union Cabinet for two of its nominees who quit over the 2G scam.

The meeting, chaired by DMK president M Karunanidhi, accused the CBI of ‘bias' in opposing the bail plea of his daughter and Rajya Sabha member Kanimozhi in the 2G spectrum case while backing her, A Raja and Dayanidhi Maran, who bowed out of the Union Cabinet over the scam.

The top decision making body of DMK, a partner of UPA, also chose to remain silent on the issue of its ties with Congress, despite indications earlier that a section of leaders was against continuing the seven-year old alliance.

In a clear message to the warring siblings Union minister M K Alagiri and M K Stalin against raking up the succession issue, the meeting adopted a resolution saying Karunanidhi would continue to lead the Dravidian movement.

Supporters of Stalin had on Saturday vociferously pitched for a greater role for their leader which was resented by Alagiri's followers. The issue was ultimately laid to rest by an upset Karunanidhi himself who reportedly asked the executive meeting whether they wanted him to step down.

Devoting a significant portion of the resolution to the 2G issue, the general council said Kanimozhi had been kept in jail for long which it said was against the ‘principle of natural justice'.

Karunanidhi has repeatedly made his displeasure known over the continued imprisonment of his daughter and had even blamed the Centre for her plight. PTI